The Sweeney

It’s The Sweeney, son… and it’s nowhere near as bad as you fink it is. Ray Winstone is Regan, snarling and punching his way through a mission to rid Laandaan of all manner of slags by any means necessary, aided by Ben Drew as hot-headed George Carter and their fellow Flying Squad hardnuts. Unfortunately, Regan’s methods are drawing the attention of Internal Affairs square Lewis (Steven Mackintosh) just as a new team of high-end crooks needing a slap hit the town. Typical.

Borrowing liberally from Michael Mann in aesthetic (and just plain thieving a setpiece from Heat), Nick Love’s film has a brutal intensity and unashamed machismo more akin to Walter Hill that makes this a rare geezer-romp to enjoy rather than endure. Delightfully po-faced, with a thumping score and a wonderful performance from Big Ray (although Renaissance chav Drew is less convincing), The Sweeney is a refreshingly unironic gruff-fest in the spirit of the 70s show.